I recently purchased a subscription to cooksillustrated.com and read the same article. While my palate might not be as good as some on this board the parm is a no brainer. Long ago a switch from the green can to gratin g my own, then when I got to the Reggiano there was no going back.

BTW you can buy Grana Padano for a little more than some of the domestic products and it is light years better. Nate at A-16 actually prefers it to Reggiano according to his new book.

I've been getting my Grana Padano from iGourmet.com. Shipping costs are such that I wait until I have as large an order as I can afford. This is from their site:"Grana Padano Stravecchio Oro del Tempo - Pound Cut - Stravecchio Oro del Tempo is a superior, 22-month aged Grana Padano produced by Agriform near Venice. This masterpiece compares beautifully with its better-known cousin Parmigiano Reggiano. The flavor of Stravecchio is intense and complex, with fruity overtones that evoke pineapple or strawberry, depending on the season. Like all precious things, every Stravecchio cheese is one of a kind, and each wheel is branded with a unique serial number. Agriform tests the quality of each wheel of Stravecchio every week until the twentieth month of aging. The end result of this rigorous testing process is that only the cheeses that deserve to become prime Grana Padano Stravecchio are stamped with the certificate of origin and guarantee."

I believe this is the direct link: http://www.igourmet.com/shoppe/prodview.aspx?prod=261. I also notice on the same page that one can purchase both Parmigiano-Reggiano and grana padano cheeses for comparison purposes. My recollection is that Dom DeMarco of DiFara's uses both cheeses.

The imported Grana Padano I buy at my local HEB Plus does not even compare in flavor to the imported Reggiano I get right next to it. The Reggiano is light years ahead of the Padano in intensity, saltiness, and bite. The Padano is much milder and bland.

Just picked up my 1st chunk of Padano. It was about 3 bucks less a pound than the ReggianoWill do a side by side. I notice a HUGE difference in the $16/lb imported I have been grating myself beyond any other Parmesan I have tried.A true palate pleaser! I will never go back!John

I am not a Cook's Illustrated subscriber so I don't have access to the information on tomatoes. But, if there is a member who has the information you are after, I suggest that it be posted in the Sauce Ingredients child board, not here in the Pizza Cheese child board where it will be out of place and perhaps missed by our members.